Victor Cruz has done everything this season except throw the ball to himself on one of his wild down-the-field exploits that usually result in him salsa dancing in the end zone. On his way to storming onto the NFL scene and rewriting the Giants record-book, Cruz has been everything for the Giants, but what comes next is all-new to him.

Cruz, a second-year player who really didn’t have a first year, has never played in an NFL playoff game, which is something he will experience Sunday at 1 p.m. when the Giants face the Falcons in an NFC wild card playoff game at MetLife Stadium.

Cruz knows there are veterans on the team that he will have to lean on him set him straight on what this time of year is all about,.

“We have to rely on them,’’ Cruz said. “We have to understand these guys have been around and played in playoff games. Some guys have won a Super Bowl. Having those guys to speak to and understand what the atmosphere is like, I’m definitely gonna be in those guys ears all week.

“This last game was pretty intense. The fans were into it. They were crazy swinging those towels around. I think the energy and the environment that we saw, that’s how it’s gonna be the entire playoffs.”

Of course, “this last game’’ was the regular-season ending 31-14 winner-take-all victory over the Cowboys that propelled the Giants into the playoffs. Cruz got the Giants pointed in the right direction with a 74-yard catch and run that handed his team a 7-0 lead. Up next, the Falcons come to town and the players left over from the 2007 Super Bowl run will assuredly let the postseason novices know the deal.

“I don’t tell ‘em anything, some of the guys in here I want to be naïve,’’ defensive end Justin Tuck said. “It’s important for them to understand it’s going to be a crazy environment. The intensity of the game is probably going to be higher than anything they’ve seen – may not, because we’ve kind of played two playoff games already this year, must-win games.

“You don’t have any do-overs, its win or go home,” Tuck said. “It’s a special time and you won’t understand it until you play in it. That’s kind of what the vets told me my first time and it was pretty accurate.’’

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Tom Coughlin said DE Osi Umenyiora came out of the game in good shape. If was Umenyiora’s first game after missing the previous four with a high ankle sprain. Umenyiora had two of the Giants’ six sacks. … Coughlin said the plan is for TE Jake Ballard (knee) and LB Mark Herzlich (ankle) to test themselves by running on Tuesday. After that, a determination will be made on if they can get on the practice field this week and possibly play on Sunday vs. the Falcons.